I WAS about to leave the Tanah Putih Health Clinic after having my Covid-19 swab test taken when something caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks.
Can you guess what the nurse was doing from my poorly composed and poorly lit photograph?
Yes, she was removing her PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) suit and standing in front of the stand fan, covered in her sweat-drenched uniform in an obvious attempt to cool herself from the heat.
I silently berated myself.
You see, earlier while waiting for my turn to get my swab test taken, I was full of complaints about the long wait under the tent at the health clinic. I was also sharing my grievances to a colleague via WhatsApp about not being able to go about my daily tasks such as getting food and groceries once I don the white wrist band, signifying that I’ve been in close contact with a Covid-19 patient hence would be subjected to home quarantine.
It posed a problem to me as I am living alone in a rented room here in Kuching with limited amenities.
My colleague suggested that I ordered groceries online and food via Grab or Food Panda.
I was already making mental arrangements on how to go about living for 14 days on quarantine at home.
There I was, full of complaints while I had the comfort of working from home, not being covered in the most uncomfortable spacesuit-like gear in the sweltering heat. And then there was the nurse who had to bear so much, yet took it all in her stride.
All of us at Sarawak Media Group (SMG) have to undergo the precautionary procedure of getting our swab tests done as one of our colleagues has been tested positive for Covid-19 and is currently being treated as we work from home while the office is being sanitised.
In January this year, The Ministry of Health (MOH) has instructed home quarantine, for all close contacts of positive Covid-19 cases.
The poor nurse was still seen fanning herself when a sudden wave of remorse washed over me and all complaints quickly vanished from my mind as I stood there. Feeling a tad embarrassed that I was being so selfish earlier on about such petty things.
I smiled at her and she smiled sheepishly back, perhaps slightly embarrassed that I had caught her in an unflattering moment.
“Waahhh.. basah kuyup Kak!” I said, stating the obvious, in a meek attempt to get her talking.
She only smiled back and said, “Biasa la ni.. dah kerja hari-hari macam ni kena tahan saja.”
Yes, it may be just a job to her and to some, but suddenly I felt lucky that all I had to do was to get a simple swab test done and not spend the whole day covered in the most uncomfortable gear attending to hundreds of patients each day.
Not wanting to disturb her further from cooling off, I walked towards my car and made my way home, quickly going over the arrangement I made with myself and suddenly I did not feel troubled anymore.
Sometimes, forgetting to take a look around and appreciate the little things in life is what sets us up for disappointments.
Sometimes when we are overly engrossed with ourselves thinking the world revolves around us, we forget the sufferings of others.
